CODE seeks more resources to scale up accountability campaigns
By Perpetua Onuegbu
Connected Development (CODE), a civic organisation, has appealed for more resources from its partners to expand its transparency and accountability work.
Mr Hamzat Lawal, Founder and Chief Executive of CODE, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the inauguration of the group’s new leadership, an event that also marked its 13th anniversary.
Lawal was recently awarded the Chevening Scholarship for a Master’s in Governance, Development, and Public Policy at the University of Sussex.
He appointed Mr Mukhtar Modibbo as Secretary-General of Follow The Money International and Ms Hyeladzira Mshelia as Acting Chief Executive Officer of CODE.
He said scaling resources was vital to deepen impact, noting that CODE campaigns in education, health and gender were reaching underserved communities across Nigeria.
“Thirteen years ago, I stood in a small room with nothing but an idea — a burning passion and determination to save lives. That idea became the Save Bagega campaign, which forced government action on lead poisoning in Zamfara and secured $5.3 million for remediation,” he recalled.
According to him, that experience inspired the creation of CODE, which has since driven campaigns such as the Not Too Young to Run movement and the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP).
Lawal urged the new leadership to surpass his achievements by unlocking fresh funding and building stronger campaigns, with support from the media.
In his remarks, Modibbo pledged to strengthen Follow The Money initiatives, including a new Citizen Neighbourhood Watch designed to help Nigerians track local government spending.
“We don’t go to courts. We empower citizens with data and tools to track government projects,” he said.
On her part, Mshelia promised to prioritise gender-based and vulnerable community initiatives.
“You will continue to see more programmes targeted at the empowerment of women and girls, alongside men,” she added. (NAN)
Edited by Uche Anunne
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